Semiconductor Device Having Antenna and Method for Manufacturing Thereof

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides an antenna in that the adhesive intensity of a conductive body formed on a base film is increased, and a semiconductor device including the antenna. The invention further provides a semiconductor device with high reliability that is formed by attaching an element formation layer and an antenna, wherein the element formation layer is not damaged due to a structure of the antenna. The semiconductor device includes the element formation layer provided over a substrate and the antenna provided over the element formation layer. The element formation layer and the antenna are electrically connected. The antenna has a base film and a conductive body, wherein at least a part of the conductive body is embedded in the base film. As a method for embedding the conductive body in the base film, a depression is formed in the base film and the conductive body is formed therein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a structure of an antenna and a methodfor manufacturing thereof. Moreover, the present invention relates to asemiconductor device including the antenna and a method formanufacturing thereof.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, an object recognition technology has been attractingattention. In this object recognition technology, a history of an objectis clarified by assigning an ID (identification) number to the objectand performing non-contact communication using a semiconductor deviceequipped with an antenna. This is useful for production and managementof the object. As the semiconductor device, in particular, a wirelesschip (also referred to as an ID tag, an IC tag, an IC chip, an RF (radiofrequency) tag, a wireless tag, an electronic tag, an RFID (radiofrequency identification) and the like) have been introduced inbusinesses, markets and the like on a trial basis.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna in which thebond strength of a conductive body formed over a base film (alsoreferred to as a film or a substrate) is improved, and a semiconductordevice having the antenna. Another object of the invention is to providea semiconductor device with high reliability, wherein when thesemiconductor device is formed by bonding an element formation layer andan antenna, the element formation layer is not damaged due to astructure of the antenna. Also, still another object of the invention isto provide a method for manufacturing the antenna and a method formanufacturing the semiconductor device.

To solve the above problems, the present invention takes the followingcountermeasures.

In an aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device includesan element formation layer provided over a substrate and an antennaprovided over the element formation layer. The antenna includes a filmand a conductive body. The element formation and the conductive body areelectrically connected to each other, and at least a part of theconductive body is embedded in the film.

In another aspect of the invention, a semiconductor device includes anelement formation layer provided over a substrate, and an antennaprovided over the element formation layer. The antenna includes a filmand a conductive body. The element formation layer and the conductivebody are electrically connected to each other. The surface of the filmhas a depression and the conductive body is provided in the depression.The conductive body is not necessary to be entirely embedded in thedepression of the film, and at least a part of the conductive body maybe embedded in the depression of the film. Further, the depressionindicates a hollow. The depression provided on the surface of the filmindicates that the surface of the film is partly depressed.

In another aspect of the invention, a semiconductor device includes anelement formation layer provided over a substrate and an antennaprovided over the element formation layer The antenna includes a filmand a conductive body. The element formation layer and the conductivebody are electrically connected to each other. The surface of the filmhas a depression. The conductive body is provided on the surface and inthe depression of the film. The conductive body provided on the surfaceand in the depression of the film is electrically connected.

In the structure of the above semiconductor device, the elementformation layer and the antenna can be electrically connected to eachother through a connection terminal. Also, a flexible substrate can beused as the substrate over which the element formation layer isprovided.

In another aspect of the invention, an antenna includes a film and aconductive body. A surface of the film has a depression. The conductivebody is provided on the surface and in the depression of the film, andthe conductive body provided on the surface and in the depression of thefilm is electrically connected. Further, the conductive body is notnecessary to be entirely embedded in the depression, and at least a partof the conductive body may be embedded in the depression of the film.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing anantenna includes the steps of: forming a depression in a film, andforming a conductive body in the depression of the film.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing anantenna includes the steps of: forming a depression in a film, attachinga conductive sheet to a surface and the depression of the film; andselectively etching the conductive sheet so as to leave the conductivesheet provided in the depression of the film. Further, the conductivesheet corresponds to a conductive film, a film-type metal plate, or aconductive body that is thinly beaten into a paper-like form. Forexample, a metal foil can be given.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing anantenna includes the steps of: forming a depression in a film, andselectively discharging a composition with a conducting property in thedepression of the film to form a conductive body in the depression. Thatis, the conductive body is directly formed in the depression of thefilm. As a method for forming the conductive body directly in thedepression, a droplet discharging method, a printing method such asscreen printing, an atmospheric pressure plasma apparatus and the likecan be used. Further, the droplet discharging method is a method bywhich a droplet (also referred to as a dot) of a composition containinga material for a conductive film, an insulating film or the like isselectively discharged (injected) into a predetermined portion. Thisdroplet discharging method is also referred to as an ink-jet methoddepending on its technique.

In the present invention, the depression of the film can be formed bypressing a mold against the film. Alternatively, the depression may bedirectly formed on the film by irradiating the film with laser light.

In another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing anantenna includes the steps of: attaching a conductive film to a film,pressing a mold against the film and the conductive sheet to form adepression, and selectively etching the conductive sheet so as to leavethe conductive sheet provided in the depression of the film.Alternatively, the conductive sheet except for the conductive filmprovided in the depression of the film may be separated from the filmusing physical means (physical force) so as to leave the conductivesheet provided in the depression without performing the etchingtreatment. Further, the physical means is means recognized by physicsrather than chemistry. Concretely, this physical means indicatesdynamical means or mechanical means having a process that can be appliedto the law of mechanics, and also indicates means by which somedynamical energy (mechanical energy) is changed. That is, the separationusing the physical means indicates that the conductive sheet isseparated by applying an impact (stress) to the conductive sheet from anexternal portion using, for example, a human hand, pressure of a gasblown from a nozzle, supersonic wave, a load using a wedge-shapedmember, and the like.

Another aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing an antennaincludes the steps of: attaching a conductive sheet to a film,selectively cutting the conductive sheet, pressing a mold against thecut conductive sheet and the film underlying the conductive sheet toform a depression, and selectively etching the conductive sheet so as toleave the conductive sheet provided in the depression of the film.Alternatively, the conductive sheet except for the conductive sheetprovided in the depression of the film may be selectively separated fromthe film so as to leave the conductive sheet provided in the depressionwithout performing the etching treatment.

In the above structure, the depression may be formed by pressing themold against the film while performing a heat treatment.

By electrically connecting the antenna formed according to the abovedescribed manufacturing method to an element formation layer providedover a substrate, a semiconductor device can be manufactured. Inaddition, the element formation layer can be connected to the antennathrough a connection terminal.

An antenna including a conductive body that has high adhesive strengthwith respect to a base film and a semiconductor device including theantenna can be obtained according to the present invention, making itpossible to prevent the conductive film from separating from the basefilm. Moreover, since the conductive body is embedded in the base film,when adhering the antenna to a subject material, damage applied to thesubject material that is caused due to a structure of the antenna can bereduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1F are cross sectional views showing a method formanufacturing an antenna of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A to 2C are cross sectional views showing a structure of anantenna of the invention;

FIGS. 3A to 3C are cross sectional views showing a structure of anantenna of the invention;

FIGS. 4A to 4E are cross sectional views showing a method formanufacturing an antenna of the invention;

FIGS. 5A to 5E are cross sectional views showing a method formanufacturing an antenna of the invention;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing a method for manufacturing anantenna using a laser direct writing apparatus;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing a method for manufacturing anantenna using a droplet discharging method;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross sectional views showing attachment of anelement formation layer and an antenna;

FIG. 9A is a top view and FIGS. 9B and 9C are cross sectional viewsshowing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device of theinvention;

FIG. 10A is a top view and FIGS. 10B and 10C are cross sectional viewsshowing a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device of theinvention;

FIGS. 11A to 11D are cross sectional views showing a method formanufacturing a semiconductor device of the invention;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are cross sectional views showing a separating stepand a sealing step of a semiconductor device of the invention;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing a structure when using asemiconductor device as a wireless chip;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are diagrams showing products on which semiconductordevices of the invention are mounted;

FIG. 15A is a top view and FIGS. 15B and 15C are cross sectional viewsshowing a structure of a conventional wireless chip; and

FIGS. 16A to 16E are diagrams showing products on which semiconductordevices according to the invention are mounted.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The embodiment modes according to the present invention will hereinafterbe described referring to the accompanying drawings. It is easilyunderstood by those who skilled in the art that the embodiment modes anddetails herein disclosed can be modified in various ways withoutdeparting from the purpose and the scope of the invention. The presentinvention should not be interpreted as being limited to the descriptionof the embodiment modes to be given below. Further, reference numeralsindicating same portions are commonly used in the drawings.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductordevice with high reliability in that when the semiconductor device isformed by attaching an element formation layer and an antenna, theelement formation layer is not damaged by a structure of the antenna.For example, a case where a semiconductor device is manufactured byattaching an antenna 751 and an element formation layer 752 (alsoreferred to as an IC chip) that are formed separately as shown in FIG.15A will be described. In this case, for example, when a conductive body754 is attached to a surface of a base film 753 as shown in FIG. 15B, anattached area 755 between the base film and the conductive body isreduced in accordance with the miniaturization of the antenna, therebycausing a problem that the conductive body 754 is easily separated fromthe base film 753. In addition, when the antenna 751 and the elementformation layer 752 are attached to each other such that they areoverlapped each other to miniaturize the semiconductor device, stress islocally applied to the element formation layer, which is positionedunder a protruding pattern of the antenna (i.e., a portion where theconductive body 754 is provided). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15C, theshape of the element formation layer positioned under the protrudingpattern of the antenna is changed or the element formation layer iscracked to be destroyed. As a consequence, there is concern thatproblems such as the reduction in reliability of the semiconductordevice are caused.

According to the present invention, in an antenna including a base film702 and a conductive body 703, the conductive body 703 is embedded inthe base film 702 so as to planarize the surface of the antenna (seeFIG. 8A). Also, by attaching the surface of the antenna, which isplanarized, to an element formation layer 701 that is provided over asubstrate 700, a semiconductor device is formed without applying damageto the element formation layer (see FIG. 8B).

In the present invention, the element formation layer is provided withvarious kinds of functional circuits such as power generating means,controlling means, memorizing means, and a resonance capacitor portionby using a thin film transistor (TFT) formed over a substrate, a fieldeffect transistor (FET) in that a channel region is provided over asemiconductor substrate such as Si, and the like.

Accordingly, by attaching the antenna to the element formation layerwithout applying stress to the element formation layer, a semiconductordevice with high reliability can be obtained. Further, the shape of theantenna is not particularly limited in the present invention. Astructure of the above antenna and a method for manufacturing thereof,and a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing thereof willhereinafter be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment Mode 1

An example of an antenna and a method for manufacturing the antenna willbe described in Embodiment Mode 1. Concretely, an antenna having astructure in that at least a part of a conductive body is embedded in abase film (also referred to as a film or a substrates) will be formed. Astructure of the antenna and a method for manufacturing thereof will bedescribed below referring to the drawings.

A base film 100 and a mold 101 used for forming a pattern on a surfaceof the base film 100 are prepared (FIG. 1A). As the base film 100, afilm type substrate formed using thermoplastic resin, e.g., polyestersuch as polyethylene terephthalate, polyolefin such as polyethylene,polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl chloride,polyamide such as nylon 6, nylon 66 and nylon 8, and the like can beused. In addition, a substrate formed using thin glass or the like onwhich the thermoplastic resin is applied may be used. As the mold 101, ametal mold formed using metal such as nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), copper(Cu), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) or an alloy thereof can be used.Alternatively, a mold formed using silicon (Si) or the like can be used.

Next, the mold 101 is pressed against the base film 100 (FIG. 1B) toform a depression 102 in the base film 100 selectively (FIG. 1C). Inthis case, a heat treatment is preferably performed along with thepressing treatment so as to form the pattern easily. The shape of thedepression is not particularly limited. An example of forming thedepression with a rectangular cross section is shown here.

Subsequently, a conductive sheet 103 is pressed against the surface ofthe base film 100 in which the depression 102 is formed (FIG. 1D) toattach the conductive sheet 103 to the surface of the base film 100(FIG. 1E). In this case, a heat treatment may be performed whileperforming the pressing treatment. As the conductive sheet, forinstance, a paper-like material (e.g., a metal foil) that is formed bybeating out metal such as copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag) andgold (Au) thinly can be used.

Thereafter, the conducive sheet 103 attached to the surface of the basefilm 100 is selectively subjected to an etching treatment while leavingthe conductive sheet that is attached to the depression 102 of the basefilm. Consequently, an antenna in which a conductive body 104 isembedded in the base film 100 is completed (FIG. 1F). In such anantenna, since an area of attaching the base film 100 and the conductivebody 104 is large and the conductive body is embedded in the base film,the conductive body 104 is difficult to be separated from the base film.

FIGS. 1A to 1F show one example of the structure the antenna in that thesurface of the base film 100 where is not provided with the depression(hereinafter referred to as a top surface of the base film) and a topsurface of the conductive body 104 are leveled. However, the presentembodiment mode is not limited to this structure. For example, astructure in that the top surface of the base film and the top surfacesof the conductive body 104 are not leveled may be employed.Alternatively, a structure in that the conductive body 104 is alsoformed on the top surface of the base film may be employed. Specificexamples thereof will be shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C.

In an antenna structure as shown in FIG. 2A, the top surface of the basefilm is higher than the top surface of the conductive body 104. That is,this structure has a protruding portion 105 where the conductive body104 protrudes from the base film 100. In an antenna structure as shownin FIG. 2B, the top surface of the conductive body 104 is lower than thetop surface of the base film. That is, this structure has a recessedportion 106 where the conductive body is receded from the top surface ofthe base film. In an antenna structure as shown in FIG. 2C, the topsurface of the conductive body is higher than the top surface of thebase film and the conductive body is also provided on the top surface ofthe base film. These structures can be selectively formed by controllingan etching position or etching time when etching the conductive sheet103 as shown in FIG. 1E.

Each exposed area of the conductive bodies of the antenna structures asshown in FIGS. 2A and 2C is larger than an exposed area of theconductive body of the antenna structure as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1F, andtherefore, the antennas structures as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C have anadvantage in that each antenna is easily connected to a subject materialusing conductive adhesive or the like because of a large connection areaAlso, in FIGS. 2A and 2C, a cross sectional area of each conductive bodycan be made large, making it possible to keep the resistance low.Consequently, a communication distance of a semiconductor device can beincreased. Further, the antenna structure as shown in FIG. 2B has anadvantage in that the conductive body is more difficult to be separatedfrom the base film as compared with the antenna structure as shown inFIGS. 1A to 1E. An operator can arbitrarily select the antenna structuredepending on an intended purpose of the antenna.

Although the base films as shown in FIG. 1F and FIGS. 2A to 2C havingthe depressions with a rectangular cross section are shown, the presentembodiment mode is not limited thereto. Any type of depression may beprovided in the base film so long as the conductive body can be embeddedin the depression. For instance, a depression of which a cross sectionhas a tapered shape in that an upper side is longer than a lower side(as shown in FIG. 3A) may be formed. A depression of which a crosssection has an inversely tapered shape (i.e., a lower side is longerthan an upper side) (as shown in FIG. 3B) may be formed. Or, adepression of which a cross section has a stepped shape (as shown inFIG. 3C) may be formed.

Since the shape of the depression formed in the base film 100 depends ona shape of a protruding portion of the mold 101 in this embodiment mode,a depression having a cross sectional shape that is different from theabove described rectangular shape can be formed by changing the shape ofthe mold 101. Also, the structures as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C can befreely combined with the structures as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1F and FIGS.2A to 2C.

By utilizing the method for manufacturing an antenna described in thisembodiment mode, an antenna of which the surface is planarized and aconductive body is difficult to be separated from a base film can beobtained. Also, by using the antenna having the flat surface, when theantenna is attached to a subject material, the stress is not locallyapplied to the subject material. Accordingly, damage of the subjectmaterial can be reduced, making it possible to improve the yield in amanufacturing process. Moreover, when forming a thin and flexiblesemiconductor device, bending of the semiconductor device caused bystress can be prevented by using the above described antenna.Furthermore, in each antenna structure described above, the conductivebody may be formed to have any thickness so long as the conductive bodycan be embedded in the base film.

Embodiment Mode 2

A method for manufacturing an antenna that is different from EmbodimentMode 1 will be described in Embodiment Mode 2 with reference to thedrawings. Concretely, a case where a pressing treatment is carried outafter forming a conductive sheet on a base film will be described.

A conductive sheet 103 is attached to a surface of a base film 100 (FIG.4A). Alternatively, a base film 100 on which the conductive sheet 103has been provided in advance is prepared. The conductive sheet can beattached to the base film by using, for example, adhesive such as epoxyresin. Further, the materials as described in Embodiment Mode 1 can beused for the base film 100 and the conductive sheet 103.

Subsequently, a mold 101 is prepared (FIG. 4B). As the mold 101, themold described in Embodiment Mode 1 can be employed. Next, the mold 101is pressed against the conductive sheet 103 formed on the base film 100to selectively form a depression 102 in the base film 100 and theconductive sheet 103 (FIG. 4C). In order to form a pattern easily, aheat treatment is preferably carried out along with the pressingtreatment. The cross sectional shape of the depression is notparticularly limited. The depression of which a cross section has arectangular shape is shown here as one example.

Afterwards, the conductive sheet 103 formed on the surface of the basefilm 100 is selectively etched (FIG. 4D) so as to complete an antenna inthat a conductive body 104 is embedded in the base film 100 (FIG. 4E).Also, by controlling an etched position and etching time, the abovedescribed structures as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C can be formed. Inaddition, by changing the shape of the mold 101, antennas having thestructures as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C can be formed. When after formingthe conductive sheet on the base film in advance, the mold is pressedagainst the conductive sheet and the base film by the pressingtreatment, an antenna having the structure in that the conductive sheetis embedded in the base film can be formed.

Also, another method that is different from the above method will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5E.

A conductive sheet 103 is attached to a surface of a base film 100 (FIG.5A). Alternatively, a base film 100 on which a conductive sheet 103 hasbeen provided in advance is prepared.

Subsequently, a part of the conductive sheet 103 provided on the basefilm 100 is subjected to a pressing treatment by using pressing means120 (FIG. 5B) to press the part of the conductive sheet 103(hereinafter, referred to as a conductive sheet 124) into the base film100 (FIG. 5C). At this moment, the pressing treatment is performed whilecarrying out a heat treatment. The pressing means 120 includes at leasta pressing part 121, and cutting parts 122 and 123 that are provided oneach end of the pressing part 121. By using the pressing means 120, theconductive sheet 103 is cut using the cutting parts 122 and 123, andthen the conductive sheet 124 cut by the cutting parts is pressed intothe base film by the pressing part 121. According to the above describedprocess, a structure in that only the conductive sheet 124 is embeddedin the base film 100 can be obtained.

Thereafter, the conductive sheet 103 is selectively etched (FIG. 5D) toremove unnecessary portions, thereby completing an antenna in that aconductive body 125 is embedded in the base film 100 (FIG. 5E).

In the method for manufacturing an antenna as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5E, aposition of a top surface of the base film and a position of a topsurface of the conductive body 125 can be differed as shown in FIGS. 2Ato 2C. For instance, in order to form the structure in which theconductive body 125 protrudes from the top surface of the base film (asshown in FIG. 2A), the pressure applied by the pressing means 120 may bereduced in the pressing treatment. In order to form the structure inthat the conductive layer 125 is embedded in the base film (as shown inFIG. 2B), the pressure applied by the pressing means 120 may beincreased in the pressing treatment. Further, in order to form thestructure in that the top surface of the conductive body 125 is higherthan the top surface of the base film and the conductive body is alsoformed on the top surface of the base film (as shown in FIG. 2C), thepressure applied by the pressing means 120 may be reduced in thepressing treatment and the etching treatment may be selectively carriedout so as to leave the conductive body provided on the top surface ofthe base film. Also, by changing the shape of the pressing part, aconductive body having each shape as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C can beformed in the base film.

Further, examples of selectively removing the conductive sheet providedexcept in the depression by performing the etching treatment are shownin FIGS. 4A to 4E and FIGS. 5A to 5E. However, the present embodimentmode is not limited thereto. The conductive sheet formed except in thedepression may be selectively separated from the base film by usingphysical means without performing the etching treatment such that theconductive sheet formed in the depression of the base film is left. Thisis especially effective in the case where the conductive sheet embeddedin the depression of the base film is cut from the other conductivesheet (e.g., FIG. 5D).

Furthermore, the present embodiment mode can be implemented by beingfreely combined with the above embodiment modes.

Embodiment Mode 3

Embodiment Mode 3 will describe a method for manufacturing an antennathat is different from the above embodiment modes. Specifically, amethod for forming a depression in a base film and a method for forminga conductive body on a base film having a depression will be describedbelow, respectively.

The method for forming a depression in a base film that is differentfrom the above embodiment mode will be described.

The method for forming a depression in a base film by pressing a moldagainst the base film is described in the above embodiment mode (FIGS.1A to 1C). Alternatively, a case of directly forming a depression in abase film by irradiating the base film with laser light will bedescribed here with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

A base film 300 is prepared. Next, the base film 300 is selectivelyirradiated with laser light by using a laser direct-writing apparatus1001 to form a depression 301 (FIG. 6A).

The laser direct-writing apparatus 1001 comprises: a personal computer(hereinafter, PC) 1002 for executing various kinds of controls inirradiating a subject material with laser light; a laser oscillator 1003for oscillating laser light; a power source 1004 of the laser oscillator1003; an optical system (ND filter) 1005 for attenuating laser light; anacoustooptical modulator (AOM) 1006 for modulating the intensity oflaser light; an optical system 1007 that includes a lens for zooming inor out a cross section of laser light, a mirror for changing a lightpath, and the like; a transferring mechanism 1009 having an X-axis stageand a Y-axis stage; a D/A converter 1010 for converting control dataoutput from the PC 1002 into digital/analog data; a driver 1011 forcontrolling the acoustooptical modulator 1006 in accordance with ananalog voltage output from the D/A converter; a driver 1012 foroutputting a driving signal for driving the transferring mechanism 1009;and an autofocusing mechanism 1013 for focusing laser light on a subjectmaterial (FIG. 6B).

As the laser oscillator 1003, a laser oscillator capable of oscillatingultraviolet light, visible light or infrared light can be used. As thelaser oscillator, an excimer laser oscillator such as KrF, ArF, XeCl andXe, a gas laser oscillator such as He, He—Cd, Ar, He—Ne and HF, asolid-state laser oscillator using a crystal such as YAG, GdVO₄, YVO₄,YLF, and YAlO₃ doped with Cr, Nd, Er, Ho, Ce, Co, Ti or Tm, and asemiconductor laser oscillator such as GaN, GaAs, GaAlAs and InGaAsP canbe used. Further, a fundamental wave or second to fifth harmonic ispreferably applied to the solid-state laser oscillator.

Next, an irradiation method using the laser direct-writing apparatuswill be described. When the base film 300 is loaded on the transferringmechanism 1009, the PC 1002 detects a position of a marker marked on thebase film by a camera not shown in the drawing. The PC 1002 generatestransferring data for moving the transferring mechanism 1009 based onthe positional data of the marker detected by the camera and a writingpattern data that has been input in the PC 1002 previously.

Thereafter, the PC 1002 controls the amount of light output from theacoustooptical modulator 1006 through the driver 1011 and laser lightoutput from the laser oscillator 1003 is attenuated by the opticalsystem 1005. Then, the amount of light is controlled by theacoustooptical modulator 1006 to have a predetermined amount. Meanwhile,a light path and a shape of a beam spot of the laser light output fromthe acoustooptical modulator 1006 are changed by the optical system 1007and the light is condensed by the lens. Thereafter, the condensed laserlight is emitted to the base film.

At this moment, the transferring mechanism 1009 is controlled to bemoved in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction according to thetransferring data generated by the PC 1002. Consequently, the laserlight is emitted to a predetermined portion and light energy isconverted into heat energy, making it possible to write a patternselectively on the base film. As described above, a pattern can beformed in a base film by utilizing the method for irradiating the basefilm with laser light. Further, the base film is irradiated with laserlight while moving the transferring mechanism 1009 here. Alternatively,the laser light may be scanned in the X-axis direction and the Y-axisdirection by adjusting the optical system 1007.

In this way, the pattern can be formed in the base film by irradiatingthe base film with laser light. In the case of using laser light, ashape of a pattern can be determined by inputting data about the shapeof the pattern in a computer, plural patterns having different shapescan be easily formed.

Next, a method for forming a conductive body on a base film in which apattern is formed, which is different from the above embodiment mode,will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B.

A base film 400 in which a pattern is formed is prepared. The patternmay be formed by pressing a mold against the base film as describedabove. Alternatively, the pattern may be directly formed by irradiatingthe base film with laser light as described above. Subsequently, aconductive body 401 is formed in the pattern provided in the base film.In this embodiment mode, a material having a conducting property isselectively provided in the pattern to form the conductive body 401. Anexample of forming the conductive body 401 by utilizing a dropletdischarging method is shown here (FIGS. 7A and 7B). Further, the dropletdischarging method is a method by which a droplet (also referred to as adot) of a composition containing a material for a conductive film, aninsulating film or the like is selectively discharged (injected) to forma pattern in a predetermined portion. This droplet discharging method isalso referred to as an ink-jet method depending on its technique.

As the conductive body formed by the droplet discharging method, aconducting material including one or plural kinds of metal such as Ag,Au, Cu and Pd, or a metal compound is used. Further, a conductingmaterial including one or plural kinds of metal such as Cr, Mo, Ti, Ta,W and Al or a metal compound can be used if aggregation of the metal orthe metal compound can be suppressed by using a dispersing agent and themetal or the metal compound can be dispersed in a solution. Also, bydischarging a conducting material plural times using the dropletdischarging method, a plurality of conductive films that are laminatedtogether can be formed. Further, as a composition discharged from adroplet discharging apparatus 402, a solvent in that any one of Au, Agand Cu is dissolved or dispersed is preferably used in consideration ofa specific resistance value. More preferably, Ag or Cu with lowresistance may be used. When using Ag or Cu, a barrier film may beprovided along with the Ag or Cu in order to prevent impurities. As thebarrier film, a silicon nitride film or nickel boron NiB) can be used.

In this embodiment mode, a depression pattern is provided in the basefilm 400 in advance, and a conducting material may be formed in thedepression pattern by discharging the conducting material therein.Accordingly, the conducting material discharged from the dropletdischarging apparatus 402 can be prevented from spreading when theconducting material is adhered to the base film. Using the dropletdischarging method allows to form the conductive body 401 in the patternportion of the base film 400 accurately. In addition, the conductivebody can be directly formed in the pattern portion of the base film, andhence, a step of an etching treatment can be eliminated.

Although FIGS. 7A and 7B show an example of forming the conductive body401 by the droplet discharging method, the present invention is notlimited thereto. Alternatively, the conductive body may be selectivelyformed by using various kinds of printing methods such as screenprinting and gravure printing or an atmospheric pressure plasmaapparatus.

Moreover, the present embodiment mode can be implemented by being freelycombined with the above embodiment modes.

Embodiment Mode 4

Embodiment Mode 4 will describe a case where a semiconductor device isformed by bonding an antenna manufactured according to the aboveembodiment modes and an element formation layer with reference to FIGS.8A and 8B.

At first, an element formation layer and an antenna that aremanufactured individually are prepared (FIG. 8A). The element formationlayer 701 is provided over a substrate 700 here. The antenna is formedby embedding a conductive body 703 in a base film 702. As the substrate700, a glass substrate such as barium borosilicate glass and aluminoborosilicate glass, a quartz substrate, a ceramic substrate, or aflexible substrate such as plastic is used. The element formation layer701 is provided thereon. Alternatively, a semiconductor substrate suchas Si is used as the substrate 700 and the element formation layer 701may be directly formed on the substrate.

Next, the element formation layer 701 and the antenna are connected toeach other (FIG. 8B). As a technique for connecting the elementformation layer 701 to the antenna, a technique that uses conductiveadhesive such as silver paste, copper paste and carbon paste or ananisotropic conductive film, and a technique that performs solder jointare known, and any method can be employed. In this embodiment mode, acase of using an anisotropic conductive film 705 that contains aconductive body 704 is shown. Further, a connection terminal 706 may beprovided to electrically connect the conductive body 703 to the elementformation layer 701 easily.

In the antenna used in this embodiment mode, since the conductive body703 is embedded in the base film 702, when the element formation layeris connected to this antenna, the conductive body can be prevented frombeing separated from the base film. Also, a conventional antennastructure has a problem that since a portion where a conductive body isformed has a protruding portion, an element formation layer underlyingthe conductive body is locally applied with stress so that the elementformation layer is destroyed. However, this problem can be solved byusing the antenna structure according to this embodiment mode. As setforth above, by attaching the element formation layer to the antennawithout applying stress to the element formation layer, a semiconductordevice having high reliability can be obtained.

Moreover, the present embodiment mode can be implemented by being freelycombined with the above embodiment modes.

Embodiment Mode 5

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device that comprises anantenna will be described in Embodiment Mode 5.

A case of forming a plurality of semiconductor devices over a substrate800 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C. Further, FIG. 9Ais a top view, FIG. 9B is a cross sectional view along a line a-b ofFIG. 9A, and FIG. 9C is a cross sectional view along a line c-d of FIG.9A.

At first, a separation layer 801 and element formation layers 802 areformed over the substrate 800 as shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C.

As the substrate 800, for example, a glass substrate such as bariumborosilicate glass and alumino borosilicate glass, a quartz substrate, aceramic substrate, or the like can be used. In addition, a metalsubstrate including stainless steel or a semiconductor substrate onwhich an insulating film is provided may be used. A flexible substrateformed using synthetic resin such as plastic tends to have a lower heatresistance property as compared to the above mentioned substrates;however, if this substrate can withstand a processing temperature of themanufacturing process, it can be employed. Also, a semiconductorsubstrate such as Si may be used as the substrate 900. The surface ofthe substrate 800 may be planarized by polishing using a CMP techniqueor the like. Further, a glass substrate is used as the substrate 800 inthis embodiment mode.

As the separation layer 801, an single layer or a laminated layer of anelement selected from W, Ti, Ta, Mo, Nb, Nd, Ni, Co, Zr, Zn, Ru, Rh, Pd,Os, Ir and Si, or a metal material or a compound material mainlycontaining the element can be used. In this embodiment mode, a metalfilm containing W is used as the separation layer 801. Further, themetal film containing W can be formed by CVD, sputtering, electronicbeam, or the like. The metal film containing W is formed by sputteringhere. Alternatively, the metal film on which oxide is formed may be usedas the separation layer 801. The oxide may be formed on the metal filmby CVD or sputtering. Also, the oxide can be formed on the metal film byperforming a heat treatment. For example, as a metal film and a metaloxide film, a combination of W and WOx, a combination of Mo and MoOx, acombination of Nb and NbOx, a combination of Ti and TiOx (x=2 to 3), orthe like can be used.

The separation layer 801 is directly formed on the substrate 800 here.Alternatively, a base film may be provided between the substrate 800 andthe separation layer 801. The base film can be formed using aninsulating film with a single layer structure or a laminated structurecontaining oxygen or nitrogen such as silicon oxide (SiOx), siliconnitride (SiNx), silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) (x>y), and silicon nitrideoxide (SiNxOy) (x>y). In particular, when there is concern thatcontamination is caused through the substrate, the base film ispreferably formed.

The element formation layers 802 are formed using thin film transistors(also abbreviated as TFTs) that have semiconductor films as activeregions. The element formation layers 802 comprise n-channel TFTs 820and p-channel TFTs 821 each including an insulating film, asemiconductor film 806 formed in a desired shape, an insulating filmserving as a gate insulating film (hereinafter, referred to as a gateinsulating film 807), and a conductive film (hereinafter, referred to asa gate electrode 808) serving as a gate electrode provided on the gateinsulating film 807.

The semiconductor films have channel formation regions and impurityregions (including source regions, drain regions, and LDD regions).These semiconductor films are classified into the semiconductor filmsfor the n-channel TFTs 820 and the semiconductor films for the p-channelTFTs 821 depending on impurity elements added to the semiconductorfilms. The element formation layers also have wirings 810 that areprovided on an interlayer insulating film 809 so as to be in contactwith the respective impurity regions.

The insulating film may have a laminated structure. In this embodimentmode, the insulating film includes a first insulating film 803, a secondinsulating film 804 and a third insulating film 805. For example, asilicon oxide film is used as the first insulating film, a siliconoxynitride film is used as the second insulating film, and a siliconoxide film is used as the third insulating film.

The semiconductor films 806 may be formed using an amorphoussemiconductor, an SAS in that an amorphous state and a crystalline stateare mixed, a microcrystalline semiconductor in that crystal grains with0.5 to 20 nm can be observed in an amorphous semiconductor, and acrystalline semiconductor. When using a substrate that can withstand theprocessing temperature, e.g., a quartz substrate, a crystallinesemiconductor film may be formed thereon by CVD or the like

In this embodiment mode, an amorphous semiconductor film is formed andis crystallized by a heat treatment to form a crystalline semiconductorfilm. The heat treatment can be carried out by using a heating furnace,laser irradiation, light irradiation generated from a lamp other thanthe laser light (lamp annealing), or a combination thereof.

When using laser irradiation, a continuous wave laser (a CW laser) or apulsed laser can be used. One or more kinds of an Ar laser, a Kr laser,an excimer laser, a YAG laser, a Y₂O₃ laser, a YVO₄ laser, a YLF laser,a YAlO₃ laser, a glass laser, a ruby laser, an alexandrite laser, aTi:sapphire laser, a copper vapor laser, and a gold vapor laser can beused. By irradiating the amorphous semiconductor film with a fundamentalwave of such a laser or second to forth harmonics of the fundamentalwave, large-size crystal grains can be obtained. For instance, a secondharmonic (532 nm) or a third harmonic (355 nm) of an Nd:YVO₄ laser (witha fundamental wave of 1,064 nm) can be used. In this case, an energydensity of about 0.01 to 100 MW/cm² (and preferably, 0.1 to 10 MW/cm²)is required for the laser. Also, the scanning speed is set to be about10 to 2,000 cm/sec.

When performing the heat treatment using a heating furnace, theamorphous semiconductor film is heated at 500 to 550° C. for 2 to 20hours. In this case, the temperature is preferably set in a range of 500to 550° C. in stages such that the temperature is gradually increased.By an initial low-temperature heating step, hydrogen and the likeincluded in the amorphous semiconductor film is released, reducingroughness of the film caused by crystallization. That is,dehydrogenation can be carried out. A metal element for promoting thecrystallization such as Ni is preferably formed on the amorphoussemiconductor film so as to reduce the heating temperature. Whencarrying out the crystallization using such the metal element forpromoting the crystallization, the amorphous semiconductor film may beheated at 600 to 950° C.

The gate insulating film 807 is formed to cover the semiconductor films806. The gate insulating film 807 can be, for example, formed by using asingle layer or a laminated layer including plural films of siliconoxide, silicon nitride, silicon nitride oxide, and the like.

The gate electrodes 808 are formed on the gate insulating film 807. Thegate electrodes 808 can be, for example, formed using an elementselected from Ta, W, Ti, Mo, Al, Cu, Cr and Nd, or a metal material or acompound material mainly including the above element. Alternatively, asemiconductor film typified by a polycrystalline semiconductor film intowhich an impurity element such as phosphorus is doped may be used toform the gate electrodes. Also, an AgPdCu alloy may be used. Inaddition, the combination of substances for the alloy may be arbitrarilyselected. The gate electrodes 808 may be formed to have a singe layer ora laminated structure including plural layers. In this embodiment mode,the gate electrodes 808 are formed using a laminated structure oftantalum nitride (TaN) and tungsten (W).

Next, an impurity element imparting an n-type conductivity and animpurity element imparting a p-type conductivity are selectively addedto the semiconductor films 806 while utilizing the gate electrodes 808as masks or resist masks that are formed into a desired shape. The TFTscomprising the semiconductor films 806, the channel formation regionsand the impurity regions (including the source regions, the drainregions, and the LDD regions) can be classified into the n-channel TFTs820 and the p-channel TFTs 821 depending on the conductivity types ofthe impurity elements that are added to the semiconductor films.

As shown in FIGS. 9B and 9C, in each n-channel TFT 820, a sidewall isprovided at the side of the gate electrode 808, and the source region,the drain region and the LDD region where are selectively added with theimpurity element imparting the n-type conductivity are formed in thesemiconductor film 806. Meanwhile, in each p-channel TFT 821, the sourceregion and the drain region where are selectively added with theimpurity element imparting the p-type conductivity are formed in thesemiconductor film 806. The structure in that the side wall is providedat the side of the gate electrode 808 and the LDD region is selectivelyformed in each n-channel TFT 820 is shown here. However, the presentembodiment mode is not limited to this structure. The LDD regions mayalso be formed in the p-channel TFTs 821. Alternatively, the side wallsmay not be provided in the p-channel TFTs 821.

Next, the interlayer insulating film 809 is formed. As the interlayerinsulating film 809, an inorganic insulating film or an organicinsulating film can be used. As the inorganic insulating film, a siliconoxide film or a silicon oxynitride film formed by CVD, a silicon oxidefilm formed by applying a liquid by an SOG (spin on glass) technology,or the like can be used. As the organic insulating film, a film formedusing polyimide, polyamide, BCB (benzocyclobutene), acrylic, positivephotosensitive organic region, negative photosensitive organic region,and the like can be employed. Also, a laminated structure of an acrylicfilm and a silicon oxynitride film may be used.

Further, the interlayer insulating film 809 may be formed using asiloxane material such as siloxane resin. The siloxane resin correspondsto a material containing Si—O—Si bonds. The siloxane includes skeletonthat is formed with bonds of silicon (Si) and oxygen (O). As asubstituent of the siloxane, an organic group that includes at leasthydrogen (for example, alkyl group or aromatic hydrocarbon) is used.Also, a fluoro group may be used as its substituent. Further, theorganic group including at least hydrogen and the fluoro group may beused as its substituents. Alternatively, the interlayer insulating film809 may be formed using a material that contains polymer (polysilazane)having Si—N bonds.

By using the above materials, an interlayer insulating film havingsufficient insulating property along with a planar surface can beobtained even when the thickness thereof is thinned. Also, since theabove materials have excellent heat resistance properties, an interlayerinsulating film that can withstand a reflow treatment in a multilayerwiring can be obtained by employing the materials. In addition, sincethe above materials has low hygroscopic properties, an interlayerinsulating film having a small amount of dehydration can be formed.

Next, the interlayer insulating film 809 is etched to form contact holesthat reach the impurity regions of the semiconductor films 806. Thewirings 810 that are electrically connected to the impurity regions areformed in the contact holes. The wirings 810 can be formed using asingle layer or a laminated structure including an element selected fromAl, Ni, C, W, Mo, Ti, Pt, Cu, Ta, Au and Mn or an alloy containing theplural elements. The wirings 810 are preferably formed using a metalfilm containing Al, here. In this embodiment mode, the wirings areformed using a laminated layer including a Ti film and an alloy filmthat contains Al and Ti. Of course, the wirings are not limited to thetwo layered structure, and they may include a singe layer structure or alaminated structure having three or more layers. The materials for thewirings are not limited to the laminated film of Al and Ti. For example,a laminated film in that an Al film or a Cu film is formed on a TiN filmand a Ti film is laminated thereon may be formed.

Further, an insulating film 811 is preferably formed to cover thewirings 810. The wirings 810 of the element formation layers 802 will bepartly connected to antennas later. However, there is concern that thewirings 810 are contaminated or deteriorated until the step of partlyconnecting the wirings to the antennas. Therefore, the insulating film811 is preferably formed on the wirings 810. The insulating film 811 canbe formed using a singe layer structure or a laminated layer structureof an insulating film containing oxygen or nitrogen, such as siliconoxide (SiOx), silicon nitride (SiNx), silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) (x>y),and silicon nitride oxide (SiNxOy) (x>y).

Afterwards, grooves 815 are formed between the adjacent elementformation layers 802. The grooves can be formed by dicing, scribing,etching using a mask, or the like. When employing the dicing, a bladedicing technique that utilizes a dicing apparatus (or a dicer) isgenerally used. The blade is a whetstone in that diamond abrasive grainsare embedded and the width of the blade is about 30 to 50 μm. By rapidlyspinning this blade, the grooves are formed between the adjacent elementformation layers 802. When employing the scribing, there are a diamondscribing technique and a laser scribing technique. Further, whenemploying the etching, mask patterns are formed through exposure anddevelopment steps, and then the grooves can be formed between theadjacent element formation layers 802 by dry etching or wet etchingwhile utilizing the mask patterns. In the case of the dry etching, anatmospheric plasma method may be used. The grooves are formed betweenthe adjacent element formation layers 802 in such a manner.

Further, the grooves are not necessary to be formed between the adjacentelement formation layers. Alternatively, a groove may be formed at aninterval of plural element formation layers. Furthermore, a groove maybe formed in a portion where the thin film transistor of the elementformation layer is not provided.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, an antenna substrate 830 includingconductive bodies 830 a and a base film 830 b is attached to the elementformation layers 802. FIG. 10A is a top view showing the elementformation layers attached with the antenna substrate 830, FIG. 10B is across sectional view along a line a-b of FIG. 10A, and FIG. 10C is across sectional view along a line c-d of FIG. 10A.

The antenna substrate 830 is attached to the element formation layers802 by using, for example, an anisotropic conductive material 832 inthat conductive materials 831 are dispersed. In the anisotropicconductive material 832, the conductive materials 831 are aggregated dueto the thickness of each connection terminal 833 in a region where theconnection terminal 833 is provided in the element formation layer 802.Therefore, the antenna substrate 830 can be electrically connected tothe element formation layers 802 by the aggregated conductive materials.Meanwhile, the conductive materials 831 are dispersed while keepingenough distance therebetween except in the regions where the connectionterminals are provided, and therefore, the antenna substrate is notelectrically connected to the element formation layers other than in theregions where the connection terminals are provided. Alternatively, theantenna substrate may be attached to the element formation layers 802 byutilizing conductive adhesive, ultraviolet curing resin, a two-sidedtape, or the like.

Conductive bodies 834 are further provided on the antenna substrate 830at portions corresponding to the element formation layers 802. Also,openings 835 are provided in portions corresponding to the grooves 815.Further, the openings 835 may be provided between the adjacentconductive bodies 834, respectively. Alternatively, an opening may beformed at an interval of plural antennas. The case where the openings835 have a circular shape is shown in FIG. 10A, however, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, the openings may beprovided to have a slit-like shape. As set forth above, the shape or thearrangement of the grooves 815 and the openings 835 can be arbitrarilydetermined.

Next, an etching agent is introduced into the openings 835 to remove theseparation layer 801 (FIG. 11A). In this case, the etching agentchemically reacts with the separation layer 801 so that the separationlayer 801 is removed. The separation layer 801 may be removedcompletely. However, the separation layer 801 is not completely removedhere and at least a part of the separation layer underlying the elementformation layers 802 is remained. This allows to prevent the elementformation layers 802 from being entirely separated from the substrate800 after removing the separation layer 801.

As the etching agent, a gas or a liquid containing halogen fluoride (aninterhalogen compound) that easily reacts with the separation layer 801is preferably used. For example, when using a W film as the separationlayer 801, gaseous chlorine trifluoride (ClF₃) that well reacts with Wis preferably used. In addition, CF₄, SF₆, NF₃, F₂ and the like can beused as the etching agent. The etching agent can be arbitrarily selectedby an operator.

Next, one surface of the antenna substrate 830 attached with the elementformation layers 802 is adhered to a first sheet material 841, and thenthe element formation layers 802 are separated from the substrate 800(FIG. 11B). Further, since the element formation layers 802 are partlyconnected to the substrate 800 by a part of the remaining separationlayer 801, the element formation layers 802 are physically separatedfrom the substrate 800.

A substrate or a film having an adhesive layer at least on one side canbe used as the first sheet material 841. A flexible film of which onesurface is pasted with adhesive is used here. Concretely, a film madefrom polyester or the like on which adhesive with a weak adhesion thatcontains acrylic resin or the like is provided is used.

Next, a second sheet material 842 is adhered to the surfaces of theelement formation layers 802 that are separated from the substrate 800and the element formation layers 802 and the antenna substrate 830 areseparated from the first sheet material (FIG. 11C). Subsequently, athird sheet material 843 is adhered to the surface of the antennasubstrate 830, which is separated from the first sheet material, so asto seal the element formation layers 802 and the antenna substrate 830with the first sheet material 842 and the third sheet material 843 (FIG.11D).

As the second and third sheet materials 842 and 843, laminate films canbe used. A film made from polyester or the like on which a hot-melt filmis provided can be utilized here. When adhering the second sheetmaterial 842 to the element formation layers 802 or adhering the thirdsheet material 843 to the antenna substrates 830 while carrying out oneor both of a pressing treatment and a heat treatment, it can be adheredthereto efficiently. In addition, the second and third sheet materialsare preferably coated with films made from silicon oxide (SiOx), siliconnitride (SiNx), silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) (x>y), or silicon nitrideoxide (x>y) in advance so as not to intrude moisture and the like frompenetrating into the element formation layers through the second andthird sheet materials.

Furthermore, films that are subjected to an antistatic treatment forpreventing static charge (hereinafter, referred to as antistatic films)can be used as the second and third sheet materials 842 and 843. A filmin that an antistatic material is dispersed in resin, a film to which anantistatic material is attached, and the like can be given as theantistatic films. With respect to a film to which an antistatic materialis attached, the antistatic material may be provided to one surface ofthe film, or the antistatic material may be provided to both surfaces ofthe film. Further, the film having an antistatic material on one sidemay be adhered to the element formation layers or the antenna substratesuch that the antistatic material is in contact with the elementformation layers or the antenna substrate, or, the other surface of thefilm is in contact with the element formation layers or the antennasubstrate. Furthermore, the antistatic material may be provided on anentire surface of the film, or a part of the film. As the antistaticmaterial, metal, indium tin oxide (ITO), surfactant such as ampholyticsurfactant, cationic surfactant and nonionic surfactant, or the like canbe used. In addition, a resin material containing cross-inked copolymerthat has a carboxyl group and a quaternary ammonium group in sidechains, and the like can be used as the antistatic material. Byattaching or applying these materials to a film, or by kneading them ina film, the film can be used as an antistatic film. By sealing theelement formation layers with the antistatic films, semiconductorelements can be prevented from being adversely affected by static chargeand the like from an external portion when dealing the semiconductordevices as products.

Afterwards, the second sheet material 842 and the third sheet material843 provided between the adjacent element formation layers 802 areselectively cut off by dicing, scribing, laser cutting or the like.Thus, the semiconductor devices sealed with the sheet materials can becompleted.

Furthermore, a sheet material having lower adhesion than the second andthird sheet materials 842 and 843 is used as the first sheet material841 in this embodiment mode. This is because when a sheet material withhigh adhesion is used as the first sheet material 841 in separating theelement formation layers 802 from the substrate 800, the substrate 800is difficult to be separated from the element formation layers byutilizing this sheet material. In this embodiment mode, the separationsteps are carried out two times to provide the element formation layers802 on a flexible substrate.

In the case where the element formation layers 802 are formed over aglass substrate, there is no constraint in a shape of a mother substrateas compared with a case of using a substrate made from silicon.Accordingly, utilization of the glass substrate can improve theproductivity, making it possible to perform mass-production. In theabove process, the substrate separated from the element formation layerscan be reused so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Forexample, a quartz substrate has advantages of a planar surface, a highheat resistance property, and the like; however, the quartz substratehas a disadvantage of being expensive. However, by reusing thesubstrate, the manufacturing cost can be reduced even when using thequartz substrate that is more expensive than a glass substrate.

Moreover, the present embodiment mode can be freely combined with theabove embodiment modes.

Embodiment Mode 6

A case of separating and sealing a semiconductor device provided over asubstrate by utilizing a laminating apparatus will be described inEmbodiment Mode 6 with reference to the drawings. One example where asemiconductor device provided over a substrate with rigidity such asglass is separated from the substrate and is sealed with flexible filmswill be shown here. Schematic views thereof are depicted in FIGS. 12Aand 12B. FIG. 12A shows steps of manufacturing the semiconductor devicewhereas FIG. 12B shows the structures of the semiconductor device ineach step.

The laminating apparatus shown in this embodiment mode comprises:conveying means 870 for conveying a substrate 800 over which an elementformation layer 802 and an antenna substrate 830 are provided; a firstsheet material 861 having an adhesive layer at least on one side of thefirst sheet material; and a second sheet material 862 and a third sheetmaterial 863 for sealing the element formation layer 802 and the antennasubstrate 830. This laminating apparatus also comprises first separatingmeans 871 for separating the element formation layer 802 and the antennasubstrate 830 from the substrate 800; second separating means 872 forseparating the element formation layer 802 and the antenna substrate 830from the first sheet material 861; sealing means 873 for sealing theelement formation layer 802 and the antenna substrate 830; and the like.Further, all of these component parts may be provided, or some componentparts may be combined to be used. The overall flow will be describedbelow.

The element formation layer 802 provided over the substrate 800 isconveyed by the conveying means 870. The element formation layer 802 isconveyed toward the first separating means 871.

Next, the first sheet material 861 is adhered to a surface of theantenna substrate 830 by the first separating means 871 that comprises aroller, and then the element formation layer 802 and the antennasubstrate 830 are separated from the substrate 800. Thereafter, theelement formation layer 802 and the antenna substrate 830 separated fromthe substrate are conveyed toward the second separating means 872 whilebeing adhered with the first sheet material 861.

Next, the second sheet material 862 is adhered to a surface of theelement formation layer 802 by using the second separating means 872that comprises rollers, and then the element formation layer 802 and theantenna substrate 830 are separated from the first sheet material 861.Preferably, one or both of a pressing treatment and a heat treatmentis/are carried out at this time. Thereafter, the element formation layer802 and the antenna substrate 830, which are separated from the firstsheet material, are conveyed toward the sealing means 873 while beingadhered with the second sheet material 862.

Subsequently, the third sheet material 863 is adhered to the surface ofthe antenna substrate 830 by using the sealing means 873 so that theelement formation layer 802 and the antenna substrate 830 are sealedwith the second and third sheet materials 862 and 863. In the sealingmeans 873, one or both of a pressing treatment and a heat treatmentis/are carried out while attaching the third sheet material 863 to thesurface of the antenna substrate and sandwiching the element formationlayer 802 and the antenna substrate 830 with the second and third sheetmaterials.

The conveying means 870 conveys the substrate 800 over which the elementformation layer 802 is provided, and may includes any structure so longas it can convey the substrate 800. For example, a belt conveyor, pluralrollers, plural robot arms, and the like can be employed. The robot armsconvey the substrate 800 or a stage on that the substrate 800 is placed.

The first sheet material 861 is formed using a flexible film. The firstsheet material 861 has adhesive at least on one side. Concretely, theadhesive is attached to a base film that is formed using polyester orthe like and used as a base material. As the adhesive, a resin materialcontaining acrylic resin or the like or a material made from syntheticresin can be used. A film with weak adhesion (the adhesion is preferably0.01 to 1.0 N, and more preferably 0.05 to 0.5 N) is preferably used asthe first sheet material 861. This is because after adhering the firstsheet material to the element formation layer provided over thesubstrate, the first sheet material is separated from the elementformation layer and then the second sheet material is adhered to theelement formation layer. The thickness of the adhesive can be set to be1 to 100 μm, and more preferably, 1 to 30 μm. Preferably, the base filmis formed using a film made from polyester or the like with a thicknessof 10 μm to 1 mm since this film is easily handled in processing.

The second and third sheet materials 862 and 863 are formed usingflexible films that correspond to, for example, laminate films or papersformed using a fibrous material. The laminate films indicate generalfilms that can be used for a laminating treatment and are formed usingpolypropylene, polystyrene, polyester, vinyl, polyvinyl fluoride, vinylchloride, methyl methacrylate, nylon, polycarbonate, and the like. Thesurface of the laminate film may be subjected to an embossing treatmentor the like.

In addition, the element formation layer is preferably sealed using ahot-melt adhesive in this embodiment mode. The hot-melt adhesive isformed using a nonvolatile thermoplastic material that contains no wateror solution, and remains in a solid state at room temperature. Thehot-melt adhesive is a chemical substance that attach objects togetherby applying the chemical substance in a dissolved state and cooling it.Further, the hot-melt adhesive has advantages of short adhesion time andbeing pollution-free, safe, hygienic, energy-saving, and low-cost.

Since the hot-melt adhesive remains in the solid state at normaltemperature, the hot-melt adhesive that has been processed into a filmform or a fiber form in advance can be used. Alternatively, an adhesivelayer that is formed on a base film made from polyester or the like inadvance and then is processed into a film form can be used. A sheetmaterial in that a hot-melt film is formed on a base film made frompolyethylene terephthalate is used here. The hot-melt film is formedusing resin with a softening point that is lower than that of the basefilm. By performing a heat treatment, only the hot-melt film isdissolved and becomes a rubbery state so that the dissolved hot-meltfilm is attached to an object. When cooling the hot-melt film, it iscured. As the hot-melt film, for example, a film mainly includingethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyester, polyamide,thermoplastic elastomer, polyolefin, or the like can be used.Preferably, the second and third sheet materials are coated with filmsformed using silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon nitride (SiNx), siliconoxynitride (SiOxNy) (x>y), silicon nitride oxide (SiNxOy) (x>y), or thelike so as to prevent moisture and the like from penetrating into theelement formation layer through these sheet materials.

As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the above-mentioned separating steps andsealing step can be successively carried out by utilizing the laminatingapparatus, and hence, the separating treatment and the sealing treatmentcan be carried out efficiently.

Moreover, the present embodiment mode can be implemented by being freelycombined with the above embodiment modes.

Embodiment Mode 7

A case of using the above-described semiconductor device, whichcomprises an antenna, as a wireless chip will be described in EmbodimentMode 7 with reference to FIGS. 13A and 13B.

A wireless chip shown in this embodiment mode includes an elementformation layer 920, an antenna 921, a substrate 922, and a covermaterial 923. The element formation layer 920 and the antenna 921 aresandwiched between the substrate 922 and the cover material 923. Theantenna 921 is electrically connected to the element formation layer 920(FIG. 13A).

FIG. 13B shows a block diagram of an example of a functional structureof the wireless chip as shown in FIG. 13A.

In FIG. 13B, the element formation layer 920 includes a demodulationcircuit 909, a modulation circuit 904, a rectification circuit 905, amicroprocessor 906, a memory 907 and a switch 908 for applying loadmodulation to the antenna 921. The antenna 921 is electrically connectedto the element formation layer 920, and a capacitor 903 is providedbetween both terminals of the antenna 921. Plural memories may beemployed instead of using one memory 907. An SRAM, a flash memory, aROM, an FeRAM and the like can be used.

Signals sent from a reader/writer as radio waves are modulated intoalternating-current electric signals in the antenna 921 byelectromagnetic induction. The alternating-current electric signals aredemodulated in the demodulation circuit 909 and the demodulated signalsare transmitted to the subsequent stage microprocessor 906. A supplyvoltage is generated in the rectification circuit 905 by utilizing thealternating-current electric signals and the supply voltage is suppliedto the subsequent stage microprocessor 906. In the microprocessor 906,various kinds of arithmetic processings are performed in accordance withthe input signals. Programs, data and the like that are used in themicroprocessor 906 are stored in the memory 907. In addition, the memory907 can also be used as a work area in the arithmetic processings.

When the data is sent to the modulation circuit 904 from themicroprocessor 906, the modulator circuit 904 can control the switch 908and add load modulation to the antenna 921 in accordance with the data.The reader/writer receives load modulation applied to the antenna 921via radio waves so that the reader/writer can read the data sent fromthe microprocessor 906.

Further, the wireless chip is not necessary to have the microprocessor906. Also, a method for transmitting signals is not limited to theelectromagnetic coupling method as shown in FIG. 13B. Alternatively, anelectromagnetic induction method, a microwave method, or othertransmitting method may be employed. Furthermore, the wireless chip canemploy either a passive type in that the supply voltage is supplied tothe element formation layer via radio waves without having a powersource (a buttery), or an active type in that the supply voltage issupplied to the element formation layer by utilizing a power source (abuttery) instead of the antenna. Alternatively, the supply voltage maybe supplied to the element formation layer by utilizing the radio wavesand power source.

Thus, the wireless chip has various advantages, wherein non-contactcommunication is performed, plural pieces of data can be read, data canbe written in the wireless chip, the wireless chip can be processed intovarious shapes, and the wireless chip has a wide directionalcharacteristic and a wide recognition range depending on a frequency tobe selected. The wireless chip can be applied to an IC tag that canrecognize individual information about a person and goods by non-contactradio communication, a label that can be attached to an object byperforming a labeling treatment, a wristband for an event or anamusement, or the like. Also, the wireless chip may be processed byusing a resin material. Alternatively, the wireless chip may be directlyfixed to metal that hinder wireless communication. Moreover, thewireless chip can be utilized for system administration such as a roomsecurity management system and an account system.

Next, an example of actually using the above described wireless chipwill be described. A reader/writer 320 is provided on the side of aportable terminal that includes a display portion 321. A wireless chip323 is provided on the side of a product 322 (FIG. 14A). When holdingthe reader/writer 320 over the wireless chip 323 attached to the product322, information about a raw material, a place of origin, test resultsin each production process, history of distribution process, adescription of a commodity are displayed on the display portion. Inaddition, when conveying a commodity 326 by a belt conveyor, theinspection of the commodity 326 can be carried out by utilizing areader/writer 324 and a wireless chip 325 provided on the commodity 326(FIG. 14B). In this way, by utilizing the wireless chips for a system,information can be easily obtained, thereby realizing high performanceand high added value.

Accordingly, the semiconductor device provided with the antenna can sentand receive information from an external portion, and hence, thesemiconductor device can be utilized as a wireless memory or a wirelessprocessor.

Further, the present invention can be implemented by being freelycombined with the above embodiment modes.

Embodiment Mode 8

Embodiment Mode 8 will describe use applications of the above describedsemiconductor device including the antenna that is used as a wirelesschip. Wireless chips can be, for example, used by being attached withbills, coins, portfolios, bearer bonds, certificates (such as a driver'scertificate and a certificate of residence, FIG. 16A), wrappingcontainers (such as a wrapping paper and a bottle, FIG. 16B), recordingmediums such as a DVD, a CD, and a video tape (FIG. 16C), vehicles suchas a car and a motorcycle (FIG. 16D), belongings such as a bag and eyeglasses (FIG. 16E), foods, clothes, livingwares, electronic appliances,and the like. The electronic appliances indicate a liquid crystaldisplay device, an EL display device, a television device (also referredto as a television or a television receiver, simply), a cellular phone,and the like.

Further, the wireless chips can be fixed to goods by attaching thewireless chips to the surface of the goods or embedding the wirelesschips in the goods. For example, the wireless chip may be embedded in apaper of a book, or embedded in organic resin of a package that isformed using the organic resin. By providing the wireless chips tobills, coins, portfolios, bearer bonds, certificates, and the like,forgery of these things can be prevented. In addition, by providing thewireless chips to wrapping containers, recording mediums, belongings,foods, clothes, livingwares, electronic appliances, and the like, aninspection system, a system of a rental shop can be improvedefficiently. Additionally, by providing the wireless chips to vehicles,the forgery and the theft can be prevented. By embedding the wirelesschips in creatures such as animals, individual creatures can beidentified easily. For example, by embedding a wireless tag in acreature such as livestock, a birth data, sexuality, breed, and the likecan be easily identified.

As set forth above, the semiconductor devices according to the presentinvention can be provided to various kinds of goods (includingcreatures). Moreover, the present embodiment mode can be implemented bybeing freely combined with the above embodiment modes.

1. A semiconductor device comprising: an element formation layerprovided over a substrate; and an antenna provided over the elementformation layer, wherein the antenna includes a film and a conductivebody, wherein the element formation layer and the conductive body areelectrically connected to each other, and wherein at least a part of theconductive body is embedded in the film.
 2. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the element formation layer and theantenna are electrically connected to each other through a connectionterminal.
 3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein thesubstrate is a flexible substrate.
 4. A semiconductor device comprising:an element formation layer provided over a substrate; and an antennaprovided over the element formation layer, wherein the antenna includesa film and a conductive body, wherein the element formation layer andthe conductive body are electrically connected to each other, wherein asurface of the film has a depression, and wherein the conductive body isprovided in the depression.
 5. The semiconductor device according toclaim 4, wherein the element formation layer and the antenna areelectrically connected to each other through a connection terminal. 6.The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein the substrate isa flexible substrate.
 7. A semiconductor device comprising: an elementformation layer provided over a substrate; and an antenna provided overthe element formation layer, wherein the antenna includes a film and aconductive body, wherein the element formation layer and the conductivebody are electrically connected to each other, wherein a surface of thefilm has a depression, wherein the conductive body is provided on thesurface of the film and in the depression, and wherein the conductivebody provided on the surface of the film and in the depression iselectrically connected.
 8. The semiconductor device according to claim7, wherein the element formation layer and the antenna are electricallyconnected to each other through a connection terminal.
 9. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the substrate is aflexible substrate.
 10. A method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice, comprising: forming a depression in a film; providing aconductive body in the depression of the film to form an antenna; andelectrically connecting the antenna to an element formation layer formedover a substrate.
 11. The method for manufacturing the semiconductordevice according to claim 10, wherein the element formation layer iselectrically connected to the antenna through a connection terminal. 12.A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: forming adepression in a film; attaching a conductive sheet to a surface and thedepression of the film, and selectively etching the conductive sheetsuch that the conductive sheet provided in the depression of the film isleft to form an antenna; and electrically connecting the antenna to anelement formation layer formed over a substrate.
 13. The method formanufacturing the semiconductor device according to claim 12, whereinthe element formation layer is electrically connected to the antennathrough a connection terminal.
 14. A method for manufacturing asemiconductor device, comprising: forming a depression in a film;selectively discharging a composition with a conducting property toprovide a conductive body in the depression so as to form an antenna;and electrically connecting the antenna to an element formation layerformed over a substrate.
 15. The method for manufacturing thesemiconductor device according to claim 14, wherein the elementformation layer is electrically connected to the antenna through aconnection terminal.
 16. A method for manufacturing a semiconductordevice, comprising: attaching a conductive sheet to a film; pressing amold against the film and the conductive sheet to form a depression;selectively etching the conductive sheet such that the conductive sheetprovided in the depression of the film is left to form an antenna; andelectrically connecting the antenna to an element formation layer formedover a substrate.
 17. The method for manufacturing the semiconductordevice according to claim 16, wherein the element formation layer iselectrically connected to the antenna through a connection terminal. 18.A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: attachinga conductive sheet to a film; pressing a mold against the film and theconductive sheet to form a depression; selectively separating theconductive sheet from the film by using physical means such that theconductive sheet provided in the depression of the film is left to forman antenna; and electrically connecting the antenna to an elementformation layer formed over a substrate.
 19. The method formanufacturing the semiconductor device according to claim 18, whereinthe element formation layer is electrically connected to the antennathrough a connection terminal.
 20. A method for manufacturing asemiconductor device, comprising: attaching a conductive sheet to afilm; selectively cutting the conductive sheet; pressing a mold againstthe cut conductive sheet and the film underlying the conductive sheet toform a depression; selectively etching the conductive sheet such thatthe conductive sheet provided in the depression of the film is left toform an antenna; and electrically connecting the antenna to an elementformation layer formed over a substrate.
 21. The method formanufacturing the semiconductor device according to claim 20, whereinthe element formation layer is electrically connected to the antennathrough a connection terminal.
 22. A method for manufacturing asemiconductor device, comprising: attaching a conductive sheet to afilm; selectively cutting the conductive sheet; pressing a mold againstthe cut conductive sheet and the film underlying the conductive sheet toform a depression; selectively separating the conductive sheet from thefilm by using physical means such that the conductive sheet provided inthe depression of the film is left to form an antenna; and electricallyconnecting the antenna to an element formation layer formed over asubstrate.
 23. The method for manufacturing the semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 22, wherein the element formation layer iselectrically connected to the antenna through a connection terminal. 24.The method for manufacturing the semiconductor device according to claim22, wherein the element formation layer is electrically connected to theantenna through a connection terminal.